Six students—all of them females—face charges after a reported fight at a school in Hall County: the Hall County Sheriff’s Office says it happened at West Hall High School in Oakwood. One deputy was hit in the face trying to break up the fight. From the Hall County Sheriff’s Office… On March 19, 2019, the School Resource Officer for West Hall High School responded to a fight which occurred in front of the school following classes Tuesday afternoon. The fight involved six female students. All involved in the fight were juvenile (16 years of age and/or younger). The SRO and Faculty of the School intervened to break up the fight. During the process, one of the girls intentionally struck the Deputy in the face and another girl struck a school official intentionally several times in the chest. All six girls were charged with affray. The girl who struck the Deputy in the face faces the additional charge of felony obstruction. The girl who struck the School administrator faces the additional charge of simple battery (M). All six girls were released to the custody their parents, with a complaint pending in juvenile court

C-SPAN is in Athens today: a C-SPAN bus makes stops at Cedar Shoals High School and the Athens-Clarke County Library on Baxter Street. The swing through Athens is part of a nationwide tour marking C-SPAN’s fortieth anniversary. From C-SPAN… C-SPAN’s award-winning, 45-foot interactive Bus will visit Athens-Clarke County Library and Cedar Shoals High School on March 21 to engage students, teachers, community members and elected officials. In partnership with Spectrum, visitors will learn that C-SPAN first put the U.S. House of Representatives on television 40 years ago, opening a window for viewers to get an unfiltered view of government. While Washington may have changed, C-SPAN hasn't. With its comprehensive coverage of Congress, elections and public debate, C-SPAN gives the world a front-row-seat to democracy. Since 1979, C-SPAN has been made possible with complete funding by Spectrum and other cable and satellite companies as a public service. Aboard the Bus, visitors will learn about C-SPAN's 40 years of in-depth coverage of the American political process and comprehensive online educational resources, including C-SPAN.org – an extensive video library containing close to 250,000 hours of searchable content for viewing, research and education purposes. Bus visitors will also have the opportunity to share their thoughts on what it means to be an American for C-SPAN's 'Voices from the Road' project. Aboard the high-tech, interactive C-SPAN Bus you'll find: Access to an exclusive interactive experience available on 11 large-screen tablets featuring C-SPAN programming and myriad of political and educational resources A smart TV and classroom area for conversations with students and teachers A high-definition TV production studio for taped and live programming A 360-degree video station featuring C-SPAN's unfiltered coverage of high-profile events and insightful, behind-the-scenes tours of U.S. landmarks A D.C.-themed selfie station where visitors can share their Bus experiences through social media 'Spectrum is excited to bring the interactive C-SPAN Bus to Georgia to celebrate the public service networks' 40th anniversary. We are proud to serve Athens by providing all three C-SPAN networks and to share their robust educational and political resources with our community,' said Adam Falk, SVP, State Government Affairs for Charter Communications. EVENTS (press invited): 9 AM-11:30 AM Athens-Clarke County Library 2025 Baxter Street, Athens 12:30 PM -2:30 PM Cedar Shoals High School 1300 Cedar Shoals Drive, Athens Since 1993, a C-SPAN Bus has traveled across the nation visiting schools and community events in partnership with C-SPAN's cable and satellite providers. Bus visitors engage with C-SPAN representatives and interactive tools to learn about the unique public affairs programming and online resources such as C-SPAN Classroom – the network's free membership service for teachers and students. In Athens, C-SPAN programming is provided by Spectrum as a commercial-free public service and can be seen on channel 95 and HD channel 755; C-SPAN2 on channel 96 and HD Channel 756; and C-SPAN3 on channel 97 and HD Channel 757, on the web at C-SPAN.org. Funding for C-SPAN operations, including Bus visits, is provided by cable and satellite TV providers.

The Watkinsville City Council, in a unanimous vote at last night’s meeting in Watkinsville, opted to keep, rather than disband, the Watkinsville Police Department. Abolishing the department had been discussed in a recent series of public meetings in Watkinsville. From the Facebook page of Watkinsville City Councilman Brian Brodrick (pictured above)... We voted 5-0 to keep the Watkinsville Police Department after evaluating details from the Public Safety Commission, reviewing input from local citizens, and learning that the decision will likely have no impact on our operating budget. Thanks to all the citizens and business owners who weighed in through this process. Special thanks to the citizen's committee for all of its work, and to the Oconee County Georgia Sheriff's Office for the collaborative and classy approach it has taken to partnering with and supporting our department. My hope is that this joint approach continues as we begin our search for a new chief and the Watkinsville PD moves ahead. Personally, my belief has been that a local police department is vital to the health and identity of Watkinsville, and I saw no compelling evidence that the Watkinsville PD cannot become one of Georgia's finest small town police forces within the next 3-5 years, if not sooner. Indeed, I think that is our citizens' expectation.

As Trump attacks McCain, most in GOP remain silent
Apart from a few GOP voices in the U.S. House and Senate, most Republican lawmakers in Congress had little to say in recent days about President Donald Trump's continuing attacks on the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), as the President used a speech in Ohio on Wednesday to launch an extended series of jabs as the former POW. 'I have to be honest - I've never liked him much,' Mr. Trump said at a speech at a tank production plant in Lima, Ohio. With Congress on break this week, many Republicans stayed away from the tide of remarks by the President, as only a handful of GOP officials stood up to tell Mr. Trump to back off, and leave the dead U.S. Senator alone. 'It’s deplorable what he said,” Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) said of President Trump in a Wednesday radio interview with Georgia Public Broadcasting. “That’s what I called it from the floor of the Senate seven months ago. It will be deplorable seven months from now if he says it again, and I will continue to speak out,' said Isakson, who has been one of McCain's few public defenders in the GOP to push back directly at Mr. Trump. 'John McCain is an American hero and I am thankful for his life of service and legacy to our country and Arizona,' said Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ), who now holds his seat in Congress - though McSally did not directly mention the President in her statement. But Rep. Peter King R-NY, and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) were outliers, as some supporters said the President was needlessly picking a fight - with a dead man - which he will never win. 'President 0. Dead Man 1,' wrote conservative talk radio host Erick Erickson. 'Let's be a little less coo-coo,' said Anthony Scaramucci on CNN Thursday morning, who served in the White House for a very short period of time in 2017, but remains a strong supporter of the President. Here's the President's full remarks about McCain from the Wednesday event: In a late night email sent to reporters on Wednesday, the McCain Institute pushed back - without mentioning the President by name - as the group defended the late GOP Senator, and one time Republican nominee for President in 2008. 'John McCain was held for 5 years in a Vietnamese prison and brutally tortured,' the group wrote, offering a laundry list of supportive items from his resume in the military and in Congress. 'John McCain always called on America to stand up for its values of freedom and democracy,' the group added, as even in death, McCain was still embroiled in battles with President Trump.